Green Funeral

The thought of dying is not easy for anyone. If you have specific desires you should make them known in order for your loved ones to be spared difficult decisions at a difficult time especially if your wishes include a green funeral. Green funerals are becoming more and more available for those who wish to reduce the impact and the costs of burial. Everyone is different in their beliefs and everyone wishes on how they would be handled when they die. If you wish to reduce the impact from embalming practices and save your loved ones money you may want to look at the green funeral.

There are a few things you need to look at when researching the possibility of a green funeral. Speak with the Funeral Director about the homes sustainable and green practices. Explore if there are any specialists in your area who specialize in green burials. Read up on green funerals. When you decide what you want, be clear about your intentions in your will or any another document so your loved ones know exactly what you want done with your remains.

There are some options to consider. Do you wish to have your remains cremated? Modern crematoriums have over the years significantly reduced emissions from cremation. Check with the Funeral Home of your choice about how green their cremation process is.

Will you be embalmed? Embalming slows decomposition and you can skip this step and choose a closed casket and quick burial. Ask the Funeral Home if refrigeration is available that will keep the body preserved for an open casket. Then you need to decide on what you will be buried in. Coffins are made of bamboo, cardboard, pine, sea grass, wicker, and jute. Other options are shrouds and biodegradable urns.

Next you will need to decide where you will be buried. Simple green burials have taken place for many years in small church and family cemeteries. Today areas that offer green burial sites have moved a step ahead in the process by placing a higher value in conserving the place where people are buried. Lands designate a portion of area where people will be buried and ensure that the land will not be used for any other purpose. There are burial fees that provide for the protection and restoration of the land to its natural state. In some burial sites graves are dug by hand and only plants that are natural to the area are used on the mounds.

Marking the spot where your body rests is another consideration for your family members to be able to visit after the funeral is long over. Local stones, trees or even bushes can be used as burial markers. GPS is also used to record the location of the burial site for future generations.

Other ways to be green at a funeral are to make use of recycled paper for programs, use flowers that are organic and from local florists, and car pool to the service and burial site. You can recommend that gifts of sympathy be donated to your favorite charity.

You might find that green funerals are not that much cheaper than a traditional funeral depending upon your choices and the cost of transport to the burial site if one is not available locally.  The bulk of the costs with a green funeral is in the upkeep and conservation of the burial land instead of on expensive vaults and caskets.